7. Motorola X4 – water resistance under $300

Price: $229.99 on Amazon (varies)

Moto X4 is a sleek-looking phone that comes in sterling blue and super black colors. Even if the design looks a bit outdated, the phone is rated IP68 for water resistance, and you can get it for $230 on Amazon.

It has 16MP front camera 12MP and 8MP wide-angle dual rear camera can record videos in 4K. However, users wish that the camera was a bit faster than it is. The Gorilla Glass display can also play 4K videos.

X4 runs on Snapdragon 630 processor, has 3GB RAM and 32GB storage expandable up to 2TB, and operates on Android 7.1 “Nougat”, but can be upgraded to 8.0 “Oreo”. The phone has a standard 3000mAh battery, but the downside is that it is non-removable.

6. Nokia 6.1 – nukeproof durability

Price: $199.99 on Amazon

Carved into a solid block of aluminum, Nokia 6.1 has a 5.5-inch full-HD Gorilla Glass 3 screen with 1920 x 1080 screen resolution. Comes in white and iron, black and copper, and blue and gold colors and with a fingerprint sensor on the back.

It has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 processor and has 3GB/4GB of RAM and 32GB/64GB of storage. You can expand the storage with a MicroSD card up to 128GB.

3000mAh battery can be charged to up to 50% in 30 minutes with USB-C charging. Android 9.0 “Pie” learns how you use your phone and adjusts the battery performance based on the data.

6.1 has 8MP wide-angle front camera and a 16MP main camera that’s capable to record 4K videos. Fortunately, there is a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Price: $323.32 on Amazon

Xiomi Mi Mix 2 won several international design awards due to its 5.99-inch full-screen display and aluminum alloy frame that comes in black color.

It has the same processor as the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus and operates on Android 8.0 “Oreo”. Mi Mix 2 has the same amount of storage as Samsung Galaxy S8 – 64GB. The battery capacity is 3,400mAh versus S8’s 3,000mAh and S8 Plus’s 3,500mAh. Pretty good deal hardware-wise for the price.

Despite being launched in October 2018, Mi Mix 2 looks like 2018 phone: there is a fingerprint sensor on the back, but no wireless charging capability. I guess the absence of 3.5mm headphone jack is a con as well. You have to use USB-C to listen to music and charge your phone.